


Garden of Eden

by sternchencas



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Flowers, Fluff, Gardener Castiel, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-09-12 08:21:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16869478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sternchencas/pseuds/sternchencas
Summary: Dean is looking for a gift for his mother and finds one for himself instead.





	Garden of Eden

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the Dean Cas Writing Challenge on tumblr for the prompt "hydrangeas".

Dean drives through the town he grew up in, but after being away for years, a lot of things have changed. He parks in front of a flower shop called “Eden Flowers,” which hasn’t been here when he left. Dean’s not even sure what he’s doing here. He came back to town to help his mom to renovate their old house, but after years of not seeing her, a few flowers won’t be enough to tell her how sorry he is. Dean can’t think of anything else to give her, though, so he walks inside.

A small bell on the door announces his entry, and Dean has a little time to look around before a red-haired woman arrives from a back room. “Hi, I’m Anna. Is there anything I can help you with?”

Dean’s eyes travel over the potted plants and flower bouquets, and he imagines giving any of these to his mom. It doesn’t feel right. “I’m not sure. I’m looking for something for my mom.”

“For a special occasion, like a birthday maybe?”

Anna watches him, and Dean can tell from her face that she’s honestly eager to help him, but what flower makes up for years of silence, especially if it’s going to wither away after a few days? “No, no occasion. I’m not even sure flowers are a good idea. It should be more-”

Dean doesn’t know how to put it into words. His eyes fall on a bouquet of roses. Most of them look nice and fresh, but he brushes his fingers over one that has its head hanging down. Anna watches the motion with a nod. “Something more permanent?”

“Yeah,” Dean shrugs. “I guess.”

“Does your mother have a garden?”

“Yes?” Dean’s not sure how that’ll make any difference, but Anna reaches for a piece of paper and jots down an address before handing it to Dean.

“That’s my brother’s plant nursery,” Anna explains. “His name is Castiel. Just let him know that I sent you if you go there. He’s good at finding something for everyone.”

“Alright, thank you.” Dean smiles at her and goes back to his car while he studies the address. He has to drive a few minutes out of town, but soon he stands in front of a building that looks like a huge greenhouse with the words “Garden of Eden” in big wooden letters over the entrance.

Dean is still not sure if his mom would even care about any present he gives her, but now that he’s here, he might as well check it out. He walks inside, and the smell of flowers and earth is almost overwhelming. There are plants everywhere, and the free space that is left leads him to a counter with a bell on it. He hits it a few times, but nobody answers. “Hello? Anybody here?” Dean shouts.

He gets no answer, but he hears something that sounds like running water. Dean follows the sound and finally finds somebody. At the end of a long aisle of bushes stands a man and waters the plants with a garden hose. Dean likes to think that he’s usually not easily impressed and has no trouble getting an eloquent conversation going. Not so today.

The man in front of him doesn’t wear a shirt, and his jeans hang pretty low, showing hip bones that plead to be kissed. The spray of the water surrounds him, and tiny droplets reflect the sun and shimmer on his smooth and tan skin. He looks like a commercial for shower gel, and Dean can only stare at him.

It takes him far too long to get his composure back and only now does he spot the headphones in the man’s ears. Dean steps closer and waves his arm, trying to get the stranger’s attention. Finally, the stranger sees him and takes out his earbuds. “Oh, I’m sorry; I didn’t hear you.” He looks Dean up and down and turns off the water. “The LARPing factory is on the other side of the road.”

“Um,” Dean stumbles and immediately hates himself, but on top of his perfect body, the stranger also has a gorgeous face, and it’s hard for Dean to string words together. “I think I’m in the right place. Are you Castiel?”

“Yes?”

“My name is Dean. I come from the flower shop in town. Your sister Anna sent me here,” Dean explains.

“Oh,” Castiel puts the hose down and walks over to Dean. “I’m sorry. My usual customers are either families or senior citizens, not-” He gestures in Dean’s direction, probably not sure what to call him. “It’s not of import. How may I help you?”

Putting on a shirt would help Dean a great deal, but he can’t say that. “I’m looking for a present for my mom. First I thought about flowers, but when I was standing in the flower shop, that didn’t seem right anymore.”

“And what does seem right?” Castiel asks, and Dean gets lost in the blue of his eyes for a moment.

“I haven’t seen her in years. I want to give her something that lasts,” Dean explains.

Castiel nods as if it’s completely reasonable to talk about your family problems while buying plants. “Come.”

Dean follows him, and they end up in front of some bushes with big flower heads that are many smaller blooms clustered together. They‘re star-shaped and create a big, pompom shape in colors that range from white to blue to pink and purple.

“Unless your mother has any favorite flowers, I’d recommend these. They’re joyful and fairly easy to maintain if you put them in the right spot,” Cas explains. “They have a few different meanings, but among them are heartfelt and honest emotions, gratitude and the wish to develop a deeper understanding between two people.”

“That sounds good,” Dean says. His mom probably won’t know the meaning, but he’d feel better knowing that he’s not just giving her something at random. “And they’re beautiful.”

“That they are,” Castiel smiles. “How many do you want?”

Dean thinks about his mother’s garden, and looking at the bushes in front of him, he tries to guess how many would fit. “Um, I think four would be a good number.”

“Alright. Is your car big enough to fit them?” Castiel asks, and Dean’s face must show that he hasn’t even thought of that because Castiel gestures for him to follow. “Let’s take a look.”

They walk outside together, and Dean does his best to keep some space between them. It’s hard enough to look at Castiel’s half-naked body; Dean doesn’t want to risk touching him. As soon as they step outside, Castiel stops dead in his tracks. “That’s a beautiful car.”

Dean feels pride swell up in him, and he smiles. “Yeah, that’s my Baby.”

“It’s just not a good fit,” Castiel says. “I’m sure you don’t want dirt all over your car, and squeezing them in there won’t do the plants any good. Just give me your address, and I’ll drop them off.”

“Oh, you’d do that? That’s great.”

“Sure,” Castiel says, and he hands Dean a small notepad to put down his address. “But I probably won’t get to it until tomorrow.”

“That’s fine, my mom is out of town for two days. I wanted to surprise her.”

“I’m sure she’ll like it,” Castiel says, and he sounds so sincere that Dean feels good about his idea for the first time. They shake hands and say their goodbyes and Dean gets in his car and watches in the rearview mirror how Castiel walks inside. He looks as delicious from behind as he does from the front and Dean wonders if he’s new to the town as well or if they just never crossed paths. Teenager Dean would have loved to meet Castiel.

 

* * *

 

The next day, Dean is as nervous as if he were to go on a date. He takes turns looking out of the window and into the mirror, and he almost has a heart attack when he hears a truck approaching the house. After one last glance into the mirror, Dean walks outside. Castiel is already standing on the truck bed, moving the bushes into place, and Dean heads over to him to help. “Hey, Castiel.”

“Hello, Dean,” Castiel says. “You can call me Cas, by the way; everybody does.”

“Alright, Cas.” Dean tests the name and finds that he likes it better. “Thanks again for bringing these over.”

Cas jumps down from the truck and looks around. “Where do you want them?”

Dean has no idea. If he’s honest, he didn’t spend much time thinking about the bushes. His mind was filled with the image of Cas’ half-naked body, and he’s glad that Cas is wearing a shirt today, even if it’s wrapped tightly around his body. “Right here is fine,” Dean says before he has a chance to start staring again.

They work together to lift the bushes down from the truck, and Cas gets a piece of paper out of the car. “Okay, here’s your invoice and then you’re all set. I hope your mom likes them.”

“Thanks, I’m sure she will,” Dean says and argues with himself to ask for Cas number, but Cas walks over to his truck as if he’s about to leave. Before he opens the door, he turns around, though.

“Have you already picked a spot for them?” he asks, and when Dean bites his lip, Cas smiles. “I take that as a no.”

“To be honest, I have no idea what I’m doing,” Dean admits. “I’m not even sure my mom has any gardening tools.”

“Then let's have a look,” Cas says, and they walk in a circle around the house. He suggests two different spots, and despite Dean’s protest, he gets some tools from the truck and helps Dean with planting the bushes.

They do the first one together, so Dean knows how to do it and Cas plants two more while Dean takes care of the last one. He doesn’t even mind that it takes him twice as long as Cas. In the end, he feels accomplished and like he did something that might show his mom how much he cares.

After he finishes, he walks over to Cas. “I’m all done. How are you doing?”

“Done,” Cas says. He looks up to Dean and runs the back of his hand over his forehead, leaving a streak of dirt.

“You have-,” Dean begins, and Cas nods with a sigh.

“I know, happens all the time.”

Dean gets some wipes out of his pocket. “Let me get that.”

Cas raises his brow at him as if he wonders why Dean carries these around, but then he just keeps still so Dean can clean him up. Dean carefully wipes Cas’ forehead and tries to ignore how Cas’ piercing blue eyes are looking at him. When he’s done and steps back, Cas smiles. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” Dean mutters while Cas packs up his tools. Somehow, Dean can’t manage to get three sentences out. So instead of asking Cas out for dinner, he gets some advice on how to take care of the bushes, and soon after, Cas disappears again, this time without the guarantee that Dean will see him again.

 

* * *

 

Dean can’t get Cas out of his head, and after moping around for three days, his mom first gets the truth out of him and then tells him to do something about it. That leads Dean to a few hours of internet research and another trip to the flower shop. With a plan in mind, he sits in front of the “Garden of Eden” and tries to find his courage. Dean reminds himself that he has nothing to lose.

When he walks inside, Cas is nowhere to be seen, and this time, Dean prefers it that way. He puts a small vase with a single flower on the counter and places a card in front of it. It says, “Do you want to have coffee sometime?” and is signed with his name and number. Dean hits the bell a few times, and when he hears footsteps, he quickly gets out.

Of course, he could have asked Cas in person, but this way he doesn’t have to talk, and if Cas isn’t interested, he can ignore the message, and they can both move in. Dean is about to start the car when his phone buzzes. Dean picks it up with shaky hands and stares at the message he just received.

_I would love to_

Dean’s heart beats out of his chest, and he needs a few deep breaths, but then he has another idea. He drives to the nearest coffee shop and heads back to Cas, hoping that he won’t mind the surprise.

When Dean walks inside, Cas is standing at the counter, and Dean does his best to stay cool. “I thought you can use a break.”

Cas’ face lights up when Dean puts down the coffee in front of him. “Thank you, Dean. That’s a really nice idea.”

Dean nods since he’s not sure if his voice will hold up. Cas is wearing a shirt, but he’s dirty and sweaty, and Dean imagines getting him out of those clothes and under that hose again. “And thank you for the flower,” Cas adds.

“I hope the meaning is clear. It took me forever to google it.”

Cas runs his fingers over the flower and nods. “This one is pretty clear, especially in that color. It shows deep sexual desire.”

Dean stares at him with big eyes. “Wait, what? I was going for romantic interest-,” He stops his explanation when the corner of Cas’ mouth twitches.

“You’re messing with me.”

“A little,” Cas admits.

Dean runs a hand over his neck and sighs. “Not funny.” Cas only smiles, but then Dean picks up on his word choice. “A little? So, the sex desire thing is on the table?”

Cas laughs, but nods. “It’s not out of the question.”

They stare at each other for a moment before Dean grabs his cup and takes a nervous sip. Cas takes one as well and brings the conversation back to safer territory. “Did your mom like the bushes?”

“Yes, she did." Dean remembers her big smile and the talk with her that followed the surprise. “Turns out she knows you.”

“She does? Who is your mother?”

“Mary Winchester.”

“Of course,” Cas says. “I’ve actually been to your house before. She got me a job once when they built that little park in town. She’s nice; I really like her.”

“Yeah, she likes you as well,” Dean says, and with a smile, he adds, “She might have suggested that I marry you.”

Cas laughs, but his eyes are sincere when he looks at Dean. “That’s not out of the question either.”

Dean wonders why he questioned his idea to buy flowers for his mom. It might be the best decision he ever made.


End file.
